January 2024 Issue of Varsity Monthly Thumb Magazine

PLAYERS OF THE MONTH
Athletes are selected as the Players of the Month for their athletic
accomplishments, leadership roles, and community impact.
JIMMY
KRAMPITS
CROS-LEX
BASKETBALL
JAIDYN
VANOCHTEN
REESE
BASKETBALL
Photo Courtesy of Keepsake Video Photo
WITH THE RICH TRADITION CROSWELL-LEXINGTON
HAS HAD OVER THE PAST FIVE SEASONS, IT’S BEEN
ABOUT PREPARING PLAYERS FOR THEIR TIME TO
SHINE. SENIOR JIMMY KRAMPITS EPITOMIZES THAT
PHILOSOPHY.
A four-year basketball player for the Pioneers, Krampits
has worked his way from being a bench player, to a
unanimous captain selected by his teammates.
“I thought he showed great leadership and did a lot of
good things this summer,” said Cros-Lex coach Lance
Campbell. “He spent a lot of time
during the last two years, to allow
himself to be a better basketball
player and put himself in a position to
be a key guy for us this year.”
Krampits had his character tested
early, as he suffered a shoulder injury
in the team’s first scrimmage of the
year.
“The injury seems to be behind him.
He’s a guy that has to do a lot of stuff
for us,” Campbell said. “He has to be
able to score, rebound and share the
ball and has to be a good leader.”
Cros-Lex had a massive roster turnover from a season
ago, so Krampits will be looked upon to lead the team.
“We’re a very inexperienced team, we have five new
starters,” Campbell said. “In order to be successful, we
have to have someone lead us when things aren’t going
well. That’s a role I think he can fill.”
He added: “His voice is a little bit louder this year and his
voice needs to be heard. When things aren’t going well,
what’s he going to do to life our spirits to where we need
to be.”
Campbell described what he expects out of Krampits on
the court.
“We feed off of Jimmy’s energy,” he said. “He’s the type
of kid that in summer basketball, he scored 20. He hasn’t
done that yet, but we think that’s something that will
Photo Courtesy of Mike Gallagher
happen. Once he has a couple of good games, he will build
off of it.”
FOR REESE GIRLS BASKETBALL, THE SUCCESS OF
THE TEAM BEGINS WITH HAVING A STRONG POINT
GUARD. VETERAN COACH JOSH PICKELL HAS HAD A
LONG LIST OF SUCCESSFUL POINT GUARDS DURING
HIS TENURE AND BELIEVES JAIDYN VANOCHTEN FITS
THE MOLD.
Only a sophomore, Vanochten is in her second season
at the varsity level with the Rockets. “She does great
at attacking the lane and drawing
defenders in,” said Pickell. “She can
hit the open three. She’s an all-around
good team teammate.”
Vanochten was on Pickell’s radar
when she was in junior high. “She was
great in junior high, she was scoring
15-20 points a game,” he said. “We
had just lost Joise Johnson and Aydan
Dalak, so in my mind, it was a great
time to bring her up. We were very
senior-heavy last year, so it was a good
fit to plan for the future.”
Pickell knew calling her up as a
freshman would put some pressure on Vanochten. “With
how we operate, the point guard in our system is a very
tough learning curve,” he said. “Last year, for most of the
season, I think she was just trying to get up to speed and
not screw up.”
He added: “This year, I’ve seen more of her taking a step,
taking initiative, trying to attack more, which is what we
need. She’s super coachable, always has a good attitude.”
Through December, Vanochten was averaging 7.0 points
per game, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals. Pickell
has goals for Vanochten for the remainder of the season
and her career.
“I want to see her take more of a leadership role and even
be a coach on the floor,” he said. “That’s going to come
with time. I’ve never seen her get down on herself or her
teammates. She always has a positive attitude.”
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ARTICLES BY PAUL ADAMS
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